Esther 6-10

Our story of Esther takes a dramatic turn today, with a complete reversal of “fortunes” for Mordecai and Haman in particular and for the Jews and their enemies in general. By “coincidence” the king cannot sleep the night before Esther’s second banquet and chooses to have boring historical records read to help put him to sleep. By “coincidence” these records “happen” to speak of Mordecai’s heroism. Just as the king is considering honoring Mordecai, Haman just “happens” to show up. But when the king asks Haman how to show honor to a man, Haman answers out of his own arrogance, with no “coincidence” necessary: Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” (Esther 6:6b) Seeking to exalt himself, Haman instead inadvertently exalts the very man he despises the most, Mordecai, and in the process sets up his own downfall.

Reading through Esther, we should of course see the larger picture of God’s providential care and protection for His people. But let’s not miss this clear lesson on pride and humility.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

I Peter 5:5b; James 4:6b (cf. Proverbs 3:34)

Esther 1-5

As the story of Esther begins, it’s now about 483 BC. Ahasuerus (aka Xerxes I) reigns over the Persian Empire. Although the people of Judah are no longer held captive, many continue to live abroad in the lands of exile (as is clearly still true today). Our story focuses on two such Jews, Mordecai and Esther, living in the Persian capital city of Susa. As you read through this story, you may notice that God is not mentioned explicitly anywhere, but that does not mean that He is not present…

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther 4:13-14

It seems to me that these verses capture the main themes of the entire book. Mordecai strongly hints at the Providence of God, that relief and deliverance will rise to protect God’s people. And, indeed, if we look with eyes of faith, we can see God’s hand at work throughout this story. But we humans also have our own roles to play and our own responsibilities within God’s Providence, and so we get that final question of Mordecai to Esther, which is probably the most famous line in this book: And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Is it just happenstance, Esther, that you are the Queen? Might there be One Who put you in that position for a reason? Are you willing to seek out and fulfill your purpose?

Although I’m pretty sure none of us holds a position quite like Esther’s, we might nevertheless ask ourselves similar questions for our own scenarios. How might you be uniquely positioned for God’s purposes? Is God calling you to action? Are you willing to take such action or are you holding back? Food for thought…

I Chronicles 7-9

Have you ever traced your own ancestry? Most of us know our parents and grandparents. Some might even remember their great-grandparents. It’s even possible for some to remember great-great-grandparents, though that is now quite rare. Anything beyond that requires good record-keeping, with stories handed down from one generation to the next. Tracing our own lineage can be fascinating and can provide insight into ourselves, telling us who we are and providing us with a frame of reference for navigating our way through life.

Unfortunately many in our modern world are detached from any such frame of reference. With women bearing children to multiple anonymous men, kids grow up not having a clue about who their actual father is, with no hope at all of learning of their grandparents, let alone great-grandparents. And we wonder why people feel lost, directionless, without a sense of place in the world!

Were it not for these early chapters of Chronicles, the returning exiles of Judah might well likewise have been left bewildered, wondering who they were. But thanks be to God that someone paid attention all along the way and placed enough value on family heritage to retain ancestral knowledge. Where would we be without it?

I Chronicles 4-6

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us have heard of “the prayer of Jabez”. We may not know what that prayer is, but we’ve probably heard of it because of the best-selling book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, published in 2000. I’ve never read the book, so I cannot comment on whether it is any good, but it was extremely popular among Evangelicals for a while (and may still be) with a minor industry developing around auxiliary materials: devotionals, Bible study guides, a version for women, a version for teens, a version for kids, wall art, etc. I mention the “prayer of Jabez” because the actual prayer is right here in today’s reading:

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

I Chronicles 4:9-10

So, in case you’ve been thinking that these early chapters of I Chronicles don’t have much to offer, think again. They can pay off handsomely — especially for book publishers… 🙂

I Chronicles 1-3

Wait, what? First Chronicles? Didn’t we finish both First and Second Chronicles a while ago? Well, yes, but we originally skipped the first nine chapters, because these chapters go straight to where we are now in our chronology, getting to the very identity of those returning from the Babylonian exile by tracing their genealogies. It is through these genealogies that the returning exiles are tied to the ancient stories and to God’s unfolding plan of redemption.

Unfortunately for us, though, genealogies that are not our own do not generally make for the most riveting reading, and I doubt I’ll have much to say for the next two days. Even so, I hope that we do not just skip over these chapters. As you read through these names, recall the history associated with them. Recognize that these are not just names in an old book, but real people with real lives. Some of these characters, like Moses, Aaron, Samuel, and David, are well known to us but others not so much. But whether famous or obscure, infamous or virtuous, these are the people through whom the LORD chose to act to reveal Himself to us. Without these links in the chain, who would the returning exiles be? And who would we be?

Zechariah 7-8; Ezra 5:2-6:22; Daniel 6

Today Zechariah returns to a more “conventional” prophetic style. Some people come to Zechariah with a question about fasting, and the LORD responds with questions of His own:

When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for Me that you fasted? And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?

Zechariah 7:5-6

In other words, “What is your real motivation? Are you really interested in seeking Me? Or are you just looking out for your own welfare?” Hmmm. Those are good questions for us all as we consider our own prayer life or “acts of worship”…

The LORD then goes on:

Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.

Zechariah 7:9-10

This is a message that keeps coming up in the Scriptures. (Recall the June 14 post on Micah 6:8.) As we can see, God is more concerned with substance than outward form, more concerned with how we treat one another than with “religious” show. The LORD reminds the people that their forefathers failed to heed this message from the earlier prophets, resulting in the Exile. Now we have a new generation in Judah. Will they heed the Word of the LORD?

Will we?

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One more thing…

I’m guessing that most of us have heard the story of Daniel and the lions’ den, so I’m (mostly) skipping commenting on that today. I would note, though, that if your mental image of Daniel is as a young man, you might want to reimagine the scene. He is no longer young. Carried off into exile in 605 BC, probably as a young teenager, by the time Daniel finds his way into the lions’ den (539 BC at the earliest, probably later), he is almost certainly over 80 years old…

Zechariah 1-6

A contemporary of Haggai, Zechariah starts prophesying just a couple of month’s into Haggai’s recorded ministry. Like Haggai, Zechariah encourages Joshua and Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple, but the form of Zechariah’s prophecy is radically different from Haggai’s — and much more Messianic.

Zechariah’s opening statement is straightforward enough, sounding much like other prophets. The LORD says, “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” (Zech. 1:3) He warns the people not to follow in the footsteps of their forebears but instead to learn the lesson of the Exile and recognize that God means what He says. The people may or may not like that message, but they (and we) should not have much difficulty understanding it.

Then Zechariah changes gears and tells us of eight separate visions that might not seem so straightforward. These visions are worthy of much greater consideration and discussion than we can possibly handle here, with rich symbolism and detail that we simply do not have the space to explore. Even so, we should at least note some highlights.

First, God is clearly not finished with Jerusalem, Judah, and Israel. He is zealous for Jerusalem. He wants His Temple built and will see that it is. He will deal with all the nations that have oppressed and plundered His people. He promises to bless the land. He promises to remove their iniquity. And He promises that they will dwell in security with Him in their midst. (Some of that speaks directly to the immediate locale and time frame, and some looks forward to a future age…)

Zechariah’s visions draw attention to both Joshua (the high priest) and Zerubbabel (the governor/crown prince). Both men are encouraged in their respective roles for their own time, but what is said of them points well beyond them to Someone greater. We learn that this Someone is the LORD’s “Servant, the Branch” (Zech. 3:8), Who will be both Priest and King and Who will accomplish building the LORD’s true Temple:

…Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Behold, the Man whose name is the Branch: for He shall branch out from His place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD. It is He Who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on His throne. And there shall be a Priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

Zechariah 6:12-13

(For other uses of the word “Branch” that have long been interpreted as Messianic, see Isaiah 4:2; 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15. Similarly, recall Isaiah’s “Servant Songs”.)

So despite the challenge of interpreting these visions, let’s not miss the clear message of hope — a hope that is rooted firmly in the LORD and in His Servant, the Branch. The LORD is with His people. The LORD is in control. The LORD is accomplishing His purposes. And He calls His people to follow.

Ezra 3:1-4:5; 4:24-5:1; Haggai 1-2

Today Ezra introduces us to two significant characters:

• Jeshua the son of Jozadak (aka Joshua the son of Jehozadak)
  • The high priest
  • A descendant of Aaron, in the line of Zadok (I Ch. 6:1-15)
• Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel
  • The governor
  • Grandson of Coniah/Jeconiah/Jehoiachin (I Ch. 3:16-19), the king of Judah who reigned for only 3 months before surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar
  • If Judah were again an independent state, not subject to the Persians, Zerubbabel would be king

These two men, together with other leaders, get the returning exiles off to a positive start with a focus on reestablishing worship of the LORD. The first order of business is to rebuild the Altar so that they can offer the appointed sacrifices. The next step is to rebuild the Temple, and they successfully lay the foundation.

But then they encounter a snag: the surrounding peoples offer to help, saying that they’ve been sacrificing to Judah’s God all along. (Ezra 4:1-2) Sounds good, right? Well, maybe not. These people, uprooted from their own homes and planted in this region by the Assyrians, may well think that they’ve been sacrificing to the local god, but their worship is not authentic, proper worship of the LORD. The best they can claim is that they learned of the LORD from Israel (the Northern Kingdom, Samaria), but Israel was always out of whack, worshipping golden calves (that they called “the LORD”) in Bethel and Dan and otherwise following the Baals and other false gods. The last thing Judah needs now is to get caught in the same snares that got them exiled in the first place. Zerubbabel and Jeshua/Joshua and the rest of the leadership rightly refuse this “assistance”, but that results in a strong resistance campaign from the outsiders, and work grinds to a halt. (Ezra 4:3-5)

In fact, the work languishes for about 18 years, with the people apparently becoming somewhat complacent, no longer actively pursuing rebuilding the Temple. So the LORD sends Haggai and Zechariah to get things moving again. Today we hear from Haggai, whose preaching runs from August to December, 520 BC. And what is Haggai’s message? “Get on with it! Build the Temple already!” (Well, that’s my paraphrase anyway.)

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

Haggai 2:4-5

The LORD specifically exhorts Zerubbabel and Joshua, but also encourages all the people, to be strong, to work, and to not be afraid. Why? Because the LORD is with them. All the outside pressure, all the political resistance, all the naysayers are irrelevant.

So how about us? How well do we keep our eyes on God? Are we obedient to the work He calls us to do? Or do we succumb to public opinion or political pressure? Have we grown complacent in our own personal lives? If God has a task for you to do, are you willing to put forth the effort to get moving on it? And in that undertaking, are you mindful of His presence?

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

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One more thing…

We should note that Haggai 2:6 is cited in Hebrews 12:26. Although I don’t want to delve into the Letter to the Hebrews just yet, we should at least recognize that — despite my simplistic paraphrase — the LORD’s message through Haggai goes much further than the immediate exhortation to rebuild the Temple. Similarly, we should see that the LORD’s words to Zerubbabel in Haggai 2:21-23 point well past Zerubbabel himself and on to his ultimate Descendant: Jesus Christ.

Ezra 1-2

Today we jump into the book of Ezra, which picks up exactly where II Chronicles left off. In fact, most of Ezra 1:1-3 is an almost verbatim repeat of II Chronicles 36:22-23. But since we took a very unchronological “detour” through Job, perhaps it would be useful to take a quick look back over the terrain we’ve covered to help get us back on track with the main historical narrative. Hopefully, the following table serves that purpose, along with giving us a hint of where we’re headed next.

Period	Characters	OT Books (minus Psalms and Wisdom Literature)
Prehistory (?-~2100 BC) Creation The Flood Tower of Babel	Adam and Eve Noah	Genesis
Patriarchs (~2100-1800 BC)	Abraham (& Lot => Ammon & Moab) Isaac (& Ishmael) Jacob/Israel (& Esau/Edom) Jacob’s progeny (i.e., the 12 tribes)	Genesis
Slavery in Egypt (~1800-1446 BC) Exodus (~1446 BC) Wilderness (~1446-1406 BC)	Moses Aaron Miriam	Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy
Conquest (~1406-1350 BC)	Joshua (& Caleb)	Joshua
Judges (~1350-1050 BC)	Ehud, Deborah, Barak, Samson, Gideon, Jephthah, etc. Samuel	Judges Ruth I Samuel
United Kingdom (1050-931 BC)	Saul David Solomon	I & II Samuel I Kings I & II Chronicles
Divided Kingdom (931-721 BC for Northern and Southern) (721-586 BC for Southern only)	Kings of Israel (northern) Kings of Judah (southern) Elijah Elisha	I & II Kings II Chronicles Jonah Amos Hosea Micah Isaiah Habakkuk Nahum Zephaniah Joel? Jeremiah
Exile 586-538 BC	Jeremiah Daniel Ezekiel	Jeremiah Lamentations Obadiah Ezekiel Daniel
Post Exile 538-430 BC	Ezra Nehemiah Joshua Zerubbabel	Ezra Haggai Zechariah Nehemiah Esther Joel? Malachi

We’ve seen the LORD working with His people, the people of Israel, over the course of centuries. With Moses at their head, the LORD delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and then with Joshua brought them into the Promised Land, calling them to holiness, to be a people “set apart” for Him. At times, under occasional faithful leadership, Israel would go the right direction, but Israel’s heart was always divided. Even at her best Israel could never quite devote herself entirely to the LORD but instead persistently chose to be like the surrounding nations. With a nominal nod to the LORD, Israel adopted the practices of the other nations along with their gods, falling victim to syncretism and then all-out idolatry. The LORD dealt patiently with the people for generations, sending prophets to warn them of their need to return to the LORD, but the people would not listen. So the LORD sent all of Israel into exile, first using the Assyrian Empire against the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and then using the Babylonian Empire against the Southern Kingdom (Judah).

Recall that the result of the Babylonian conquest was utter devastation. Jerusalem was destroyed and Solomon’s Temple burned to the ground. Those with any skill were carried off into exile to the land of Babylon. Those left behind fled to Egypt. It has been about 50 years since the Fall of Jerusalem, 70 years since the first deportation to Babylon. Neighboring peoples have moved into Judea, probably including some Samaritans — partly Israeli, partly anybody’s guess.

Now the time has come for that exile to end. It is time for a “second Exodus” and a new beginning. And that brings us to Ezra, which opens into that final period of Old Testament history, “Post Exile”. What effect has the exile had? Have the people changed? Are they ready to pursue holiness? Are they ready now to walk with the LORD?

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One more thing…

If you are anything like me, it’s easy to lose track of specific dates, especially for ancient history where the dates are disputed anyway and where there is absolutely no difference in my mental picture of 1406 BC and 1613 BC. When we’re talking about things that are already 2000+ years old, rounding years to the nearest 500 generally seems “good enough” to me. So to keep things simple in my own head, I think of the Old Testament timeline like this:

2000 BC	Abraham and the Patriarchs
1500 BC	Moses and the Exodus
1000 BC	The United Kingdom (Saul, David, and Solomon)
500 BC	Return from Babylonian Exile
0 BC/AD	Birth of Christ (I know. There is no year 0, but we’re using round numbers!)

I hope that helps.

Job 40-42

See:

• March 12 (2022) / Job 40
• March 13 (2022) / Job 41
• March 14 (2022) / Job 42